Lakes DHB Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT)

Public Service

Description

We are a small specialist team performing acute and elective Ear, Nose and Throat surgeries.

Day Stay Unit

Day Stay Unit is our point of entry for elective surgical patients. The Unit has 10 beds and 10 La-Z-Boy chairs and is currently open from 7.00am - 5.30pm. As patients arrive they are assessed and prepared for their surgery.

Surgical Unit

The Surgical Unit cares for acute and elective surgical patients requiring general surgery procedures/care as well as acute urology, gynaecology, ophthalmology and ENT patients who may require at least one overnight stay.

Most patients in the Unit undergo surgery, but some are managed conservatively. There are 25 beds in the Surgical Unit. The Unit is located on the 1st floor of the Whakaue Rauoranga Building.

Consultants

Referral Expectations

If you have an urgent problem requiring immediate surgical assessment you are referred acutely to the ORL Department where you will initially be seen by the specialist who will decide whether you need to be admitted to hospital. Investigations will be performed as required.

If the problem is not urgent, the GP will write a letter to the ORL Department requesting an appointment in the outpatient clinic. One of the consultant surgeons working in the Department reviews the referral letters to determine who should be seen first, based on the information provided by the GP. Very urgent cases are usually seen within a couple of weeks, but other cases may have to wait a much longer time.

When you come to the ORL Outpatient Department you will be seen by a member of the ORL team who will ask questions about your illness and examine you to try to determine or confirm the diagnosis. This process may also require a number of tests (e.g., blood tests, x-rays, scans, etc). Sometimes this can all be done during one clinic visit, but for some conditions this will take several follow-up appointments. Occasionally some tests are arranged even before you are seen at the hospital to try to speed up the process.

Once a diagnosis has been made, the medical staff will discuss the treatment with you. In some instances this will mean surgery, while other cases can be managed with medication and advice. If surgery is advised you will be put on the elective surgical waiting list. Again these waiting lists are ordered according to the urgency and severity of the condition. The steps involved in the surgical process and the likely outcome are usually discussed with you at this time.

In order to minimise the amount of time that you have to spend in hospital, many surgical departments run a preadmission process. This is usually done through a clinic where you are seen prior to hospital admission. The aim of this clinic is to confirm that you still need to have the planned surgery and that you are currently fit and well enough to undergo the operation.

Procedures / Treatments

Otology (Ear) Tests

Audiometry is the electronic testing of hearing ability. You will sit in a special room wearing earphones and be asked to respond when you hear a noise through the earphones. These tests can measure your hearing levels as well as other aspects of hearing such as the ability to recognise…
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Otitis Media

This is inflammation or infection of your middle ear (the space behind your eardrum) and is often associated with a build-up of fluid in your middle ear.…
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Otosclerosis

When the growth of one of the tiny bones in your middle ear, the stapes, changes from hard to soft and spongy, it leads to the condition called otosclerosis.…
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Hearing Loss

Hearing loss can be divided into two types: conductive hearing loss (caused by some sort of mechanical problem in the external or middle ear) or sensorineural hearing loss (caused by disorders of the inner ear, hearing nerve or associated brain structures).…
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Acoustic Neuroma

This is a rare, slow-growing, benign (non-cancerous) overgrowth of tissue on the nerves that affects your hearing and balance.…
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Meniere's Disease

Meniere's disease is a disorder in which there is an abnormality in the fluids of the inner ear resulting in increased pressure in the inner ear.…
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Sinusitis

In the facial bones surrounding your nose, there are four pairs of hollow air spaces known as sinuses or sinus cavities.…
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Snoring

Snoring is the harsh rattling noise made by some people when they sleep.…
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Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA)

When snoring is interrupted by episodes of totally obstructed breathing, it is known as obstructive sleep apnoea.…
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Rhinitis

Rhinitis is the inflammation of the lining of the nose (nasal mucosa).…
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Tonsillitis

Your tonsils are the oval-shaped lumps of tissue that lie on both sides of the back of the throat.…
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Swallowing Disorders (Dysphagia)

If you find it difficult to pass food or liquid from your mouth to your stomach, you may have a swallowing disorder or dysphagia.…
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Hoarseness

Hoarseness can be described as abnormal voice changes that make your voice sound raspy and strained and higher or lower or louder or quieter than normal.…
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Charges

New Zealand citizens or those who have obtained permanent residence are entitled to publicly funded health care.

Non-residents may be required to pay for their health care.

Click here to read more about eligibility for funded care at Lakes DHB.